1) That Comrade R. Grimm negotiated with a member of the government of
a neutral country, Minister Hoffmann, who did not consider it possible for
Switzerland officially to intervene for the only reason that the English
Government would doubtlessly interpret this as a breach of neutrality,
since England refuses to permit the passage of internationalists;

2) That R. Grimm’s proposal is fully acceptable since it guarantees
free passage irrespective of political affiliation, or attitude on the
“fatherland defence” issue, or on Russia continuing the war or concluding
peace, etc.;

3) That the proposal is based on a plan envisaging the exchange of
Russian émigrés for German internees in Russia, and that the
émigrés have no reason to decline to campaign for such an exchange in
Russia;

4) That Comrade R. Grimm has submitted this proposal to representatives
of all the trends among the political émigrés, pointing out that in the
situation that has arisen this is the only way and that it is fully
acceptable under present conditions;

5) That, for our part, we have done everything possible to convince
representatives of the different trends of the
need to accept the proposal and of the absolute impermissibility of delay;

6) That the representatives of certain trends have, unfortunately,
urged further delay—a decision which we can not but regard as a grave
mistake, and one that does immense damage to the revolutionary movement in
Russia.

In accordance with these considerations, the Collegium Abroad of the
Central Committee resolves to notify all members of our Party of the
acceptance of the proposal and of our immediate departure, and to invite
them to register all who wish to make the journey, and send a copy of this
decision to the representatives of all other trends.

Zurich, March 31, 1917

Notes

[2]Lenin began to make arrangements for returning to Russia as soon as the
news of the February Revolution was confirmed. “I’m beside myself at the
thought that I cannot go to Scandinavia! I cannot forgive myself for not
having risked going there in 1915,” he wrote to Inessa Armand on March 2
(15), 1917. Both the Provisional Government and the Allies, England and
France, took measures to prevent the internationalists returning to
Russia. The Russian police drew up a black list of persons subject to
arrest at the frontier. Most of the names were those of Zimmerwald
internationalists,
opponents of the imperialist war. Only defencists were allowed to enter the
country. Knowing that his return would encounter formidable obstacles,
Lenin weighed the possibility of travelling on someone else’s passport. He
discussed this in letters to V. A. Karpinsky in Geneva and J. S. Hanecki in
Stockholm.

At a private meeting of the Russian Party centres in Berne on March 6
(19), Martov suggested travelling via Germany in exchange for Germans
interned in Russia. The plan was eagerly supported by Lenin, all the more
so that, on March 11 (24), the Russian Legation in Berne had held up
permits for the return of a number of émigrés.

Robert Grimm, a Social-Democratic member of the Swiss Federal Council,
negotiated with the German Minister in Berne permission for Russian
political émigrés to make the trip through Germany. In view of Grimm’s
ambiguous attitude, the Bolsheviks asked Fritz Platten, a Left
Zimmerwaldist and Secretary of the Swiss Social-Democratic Party, to take
over the negotiations. The German Government agreed to the terms proposed
by Platten and drawn up by Lenin: the group would be accorded
ex-territorial rights on German
soil;
would not be subjected to customs inspection or political verification; the
German authorities would deal only with Platten, who was to accompany the
Russians throughout the journey.

The group left only on March 27 (April 9). The delay was caused by the
Mensheviks demanding prior agreement by the Provisional Government or the
Petrograd Soviet to exchange Russian émigrés for German internees. Yet,
it was perfectly clear that the Provisional Government, taking its cue from
the British Government, would do everything to impede the return of these
determined revolutionary opponents of the imperialist
war.
The Bolsheviks therefore decided to leave immediately.

The terms and procedures agreed upon were duly recorded in a protocol
which was communicated to Left Zimmerwaldists in Germany—Paul Levi
(Hartstein), France—Fernand Loriot and
Henri Guilbeaux, Poland—M. Bronski, and Switzerland—Fritz Platten.

In addition, a statement for the press was drawn up in their name and
signed in Stockholm by Swedish Left Social-Democrats Carl Lindhagen,
Fredrik Ström, C. N. Carleson, Karl Kilbom and Ture Nerman, and by the
Norwegian Left Social-Democrat Arvid Hansen. The statement read in part:

“We the undersigned are aware of the obstacles the Entente governments
have created to the return of the Russian internationalists. We are aware
of the terms on which the German Government has permitted their journey to
Sweden.... The undersigned internationalists of France, Switzerland,
Poland, Germany, Sweden and Norway believe that our Russian comrades not
only have the right, but also the obligation to avail themselves of this
opportunity to return to Russia. We wish them every success in their
struggle against the imperialist policy of the Russian bourgeoisie—a
struggle that is part of our common fight for the emancipation of the
working class and for the socialist revolution.” The statement appeared in
the Swedish Left Social-Democratic Politiken of April 15, 1917
(No. 86).

In view of French press reports that Foreign Minister Milyukov
threatened to have the émigrés arrested on charges of high treason,
Lenin and all the other members of the group, irrespective of political
affiliation, signed the following statement:

(Central Party Archives, Institute of Marxism-Leninism of the C.C.,
C.P.S.U.)

Lenin was the first to sign the statement, during the train journey
from Berne to Zurich. The possibility was thus precluded of anyone pleading
ignorance of the consequences of his participation in the journey and
laying the blame on its organisers. The text of the statement suggests that
Lenin had a share in drafting it.

The group left on March 27 (April 9); on March 31 (April 13) they
arrived in Stockholm, and on the same day Lenin left for Russia via
Finland.